Why did George Harrison fail in the UK and US singles charts between 73 & 87??

Any ideas why George’s singles failed in the UK & USA between Give Me Love (1973) and Got My Mind (1987)…with the exception of All those years ago?

some real good songs and he even made some promo videos from time to time

 

Didn't Blow Away do pretty good, at least I heard it some.

 

The perm

 

The Beatles solo successes were an anomaly to begin with. No other group breaks up and has members score multiple #1 hits within a couple years. Realistically only one of them was going to remain a constant presence on the charts, and that was McCartney, who was the most popular and prolific Beatle.

 

Sorry to have to say that the songs just weren't that great with a few exceptions.

 

He was performing some wonderful songs, but not usually up to his Abbey Road and All Things Must Pass level of writing and performing. Also, he wasn't going to do Disco, Punk, or New Wave.

 

It got to 16 in the USA - only 51 in the Uk

 

Dark Horse, You and Crackerbox Palace all went top 20. Even the unloved Ding Dong made 38. The only album without hit was ( deservedly) Gone Troppo.

 

One odd thing is Paul didn't sing a number one single in the UK, between Get Back and Mull of Kintyre. Not that he didn't come close a bunch of times.

 

Goodwill towards George dwindled around 1974 with Dark Horse. FM rock radio tried to get behind it but really it wasn’t that good.

Extra Texture was a bomb. 33 1/3 actually was a shot in the arm but George fell between the cracks stylistically.

I could go on, but George was not unlike Neil Young in mindset, doing what he wanted, regardless of trends. For example, Zuma, by Neil, is an awesome album, but by late 1975, it was outside the lines of what was considered commercial.

George wasn’t really cut out to be a rock star, was he?

 

The music press absolutely turned on him in 1974.

He was seen as being increasingly moralizing and evangelical, people weren't really appreciative of his efforts to promote Ravi Shankar during his tours, the British tabloids turned on him (contrasting rumoured affairs with his spiritual leanings), and he basically became persona non grata. His Dark Horse album didn't even chart in the UK.

It's hard to come back from something like that. Even when the critics started to ease up on him a bit when he released Thirty Three & ⅓, he still couldn't break the top 30 album charts in the UK.

The best thing he really did is take a five year break between Gone Troppo and Cloud Nine. By the time he came back, everyone forgot that he was meant to be "uncool".

 

Didn't 'This Song' and 'Crackerbox Palace' (1976/ 77) chart?

P.S. According to Wiki not in the UK. Strange.

 

You must be looking at US numbers.
Surprisingly enough, the albums did poorly as well.

 

Yes, those are US numbers. The albums also did well here. Every one went top 20 until Troppo did a big 108.

 

I generally like all of John's, Paul's, and George's 1970s output, but I think George's is the best on record.

All Things Must Pass of course is a classic, and Living in the Material World is one of my favorite 70s' albums.

Dark Horse is not good -- great title track, but otherwise it's at best a good EP of material. Extra Texture has a few good songs, but overall is kind of dull as well.

But George bounced back nicely with 33 @ 1/3, which is good, and especially the 1979 George Harrison album, which is stellar.

So, George issued "only" (still a lot by today's standards) 6 solo albums in the 70s, though the first is equal to two albums, so really about 7 "discs" of material. Of those 7 discs, only 2 are sub-par and 5 are really good, and there's nothing totally embarrassing, which I can't say of John or Paul.

 

Getting it back on track, as to why George "failed" on the UK charts -- I had asked the question, I think on another thread, why Dark Horse missed the UK chart completely? I mean, even if UK fans hated the record, you would think a guy whose last album was #2 and who was only four years removed from the entertainment phenomenon of the century would at least automatically go into the top-50 with a new album.

I think there are two reasons:
(a) UK fans, esp. of that time, were very 'fad' conscious, and George was extremely un-trendy after 1972 or so (by his own intention -- opposite to Paul, who was inclined to chase trends).
(b) Bangla Desh and Living in the Material World are very "heavy and serious, man" projects. UK fans generally hate when rock stars take themselves seriously, whereas North Americans respect it. It's just a different perspective. British people hate earnestness in their own.

 

It did very well. #2 I think.
And then he released no material at all between 82 and 87. So this thread doesn’t make too much sense.

 

George made some mediocre music during that time period. There were some good tunes like "Blow Away" but overall not like his first two albums.

 

It charted at 51 in the UK, and 16 in the US.

 

I think without All Those Years Ago, Somewhere In England wouldn't have done anything on the charts. Really the only possible single I hear.

 

He wasn't that good at writing songs.

 

Cos his songs were boring.

 

To be fair, you’re missing several hit singles from that time: “Dark Horse,” “Ding Dong, Ding Dong,” “You,” “This Song,” “Crackerbox Palace,” “Blow Away,” and “All Those Years Ago” were all hit singles in the States (Some of them were also UK hits).

Only “All Those Years” ago made the top 10 in the States, but it’s not like he was completely absent. “Blow Away” did well (#16, #2 Adult Contemporary) too.

I don’t think his songs were nearly as strong after All Things Must Pass, not consistently at least. But he had some good, occasionally great ones, here and there, during the years you cited.

 

#2 Adult Contemporary.

“All Those Years Ago” reached #2 on the Hot 100 though.

 

Absolutely. I remember seeing a lot of copies in the cut-out bins and it got there fast. I'm sure that's where my copy came from.